Affiliation

Portrayed by

Biography

Frank was somewhat meek and sarcastic. He detested Angel, as he gave him the "heebie-jeebies", and asked his boss if he ever looked into his (Angel's) eyes, claiming that "there's nothing there". He was so uncomfortable with Angel that he even suggested that he deliver an eviction notice to him instead of his weekly bill. He did not, however, seem too disturbed when he and the Manager discovered the salesman's (one of the residents in the Hotel) suicide, instead making remarks that the man was cheap as he did not tip him more than the other "death-wishers". Under the Manager's orders, he stored the body in the meat locker, where it is suggested he mutilated it in order to "make it fit". When the residents of the Hotel started to turn on each other, thinking that the situation with the salesman was instead foul play, Frank tried to remind everyone that it was suicide. When the Manager then asked Frank how would he know, since he wasn't there, Frank immediately blamed Consuela, the maid who discovered the dead man. When the mob soon came after Angel, believing he was the murderer after Judy Kovacs, desperate to save herself from the blame, said he did it, Frank was more than enthusiastic when the mob was getting ready to hang him, telling them to string him up and push him off the ledge faster. It is implied that he was a sadist, as when Angel was hung, the mob, who were under the demon's influence, felt remorse, Frank was the only one still excited about what happened.

Frank was later arrested by the police for murder of the salesman, and was executed in 1954.

Behind the Scenes

He was portrayed by J.P. Manoux.

Frank's surname, "Gilnitz", is a name that was often used for incidental or unseen characters on "The X-Files" (usually with the first name John); it became a running joke on that show. The name was an amalgam of the names of longtime X-Files writers John Shiban, Vince Gilligan, and Frank Spotnitz. The writer of this Angel episode, Tim Minear, was a writer and story editor for "The X-Files".